Anti-Russian US sanctions
• The new sanctions adopted by both chambers of the us Congress, and “for” voted the overwhelming majority of both Democrats and Republicans, although President Donald trump expressed my skepticism about the sanctions.
• On July 25, the House of representatives approved new sanctions 419 votes to 3 votes against. On 27 July, they approved the Senate by 98 votes to 2 against.
• The sanctions are seen as a measure aimed to punish Russia for interfering in the U.S. presidential election last fall and in aggressive behaviour in Ukraine and Syria.
• The purpose of sanctions is to harm the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, as well as important sectors of the Russian economy, such as the arms trade and energy exports.
New US sanctions against Russia — an embarrassment to trump, says the head of the Russian government. This suggests that the sanctions have hurt the Russian, he said.
Several contemptuous attacks against the US President Donald trump with the Russian government — a sign that the Russian strategy toward the United States failed, and that the new us sanctions do hurt them.
This is the assessment made after the Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, not especially choosing expressions, made fun of the American President on Twitter and Facebook, calling it, in particular, weak and humiliated.
“It is possible that this is a game, which Medvedev and Putin agreed in advance. Putin gives Medvedev an opportunity to speak out sharply that this does not suffer the chemical, which allegedly emerged between Putin and the tramp”, — said the expert on Russia Mette Skak (Mette Skak), Professor of political science at the University of Aarhus.
Russia responds to sanctions
The verbal assault followed after Donald trump on Wednesday conceded the hard pressure and signed the law on new sanctions against Russia, which previously voted in an overwhelming majority of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. The new sanctions bill has been described as particularly problematic for trump, because in addition to the introduction of new sanctions, it also limits its opportunity to cancel or reduce the sanctions against Russia in the future.
Trump even before the adoption of the law expressed a very skeptical attitude to new sanctions, but, if he has imposed on them the veto, it was possible to expect that a presidential veto would be overturned by the required 2/3 of the members of Congress.
The fact that trump in the end signed the law, which is opposed by he — a humiliation for the President, said in a statement the head of the Russian government:
“The American establishment completely outplayed trump. The President is not pleased by the new sanctions, but could not sign the law,” Medvedev wrote on Twitter, adding that the economic situation unleashes a war between Russia and the United States.
Analyst: taunts evidence of the weakness of Russian
Contemptuous comments about trump risk, however, tends to have the opposite effect, not that they expected Russian, indicates Mette Skak:
“All this suggests that U.S. actions harm Russia. Russian wrote the story that sanctions do not mean anything, but now, when they actively respond to the measures taken by Congress, this suggests that the sanctions are really “bite”. Medvedev unwittingly, practically advertised the sanctions policy of the United States”.
American analysts see the angry reaction of Russia to new sanctions as a sign that Russians do not understand the American system. Medvedev’s statement is an example of this, says Mette Skak:
“When Medvedev mocks trump due to the fact that he can’t handle Congress, it just shows that Russians perceive the world, proceeding from the Russian realities. In the US things are so that Congress can oppose the President, and the President is really strong, if he manages to cooperate with Congress. In Russia, the Parliament — more than the national Assembly, which puts the stamp on what the government decides. In Russian there is no such separation of powers that is so evident in the USA. The Russian did not understand what the separation of powers”.
Putin’s strategy failed
Mette Skak addresses the current situation as a sign that Putin’s strategy failed:
“At the beginning of the presidency trump the Russians were counting on the fact that trump will be able to establish new partnerships with Russia, says Mette Skak. — But the Russians have miscalculated, because Trump will not be able to do it because of the scandal associated with the “Regata”.
The tightening of sanctions is thus the result of the fact that the Russians have gone too far, intervened in the electoral campaign in the United States.
“It is most likely that the tightening of sanctions by Congress — revenge for the fact that Russia interfered in the electoral campaign in the United States. It was a goal scored by the Russians in their own goal, and the consequences of this that we are seeing now” says Mette Skak.
“Putin is a great tactician but a terrible strategist. He manages to amaze the world, but its long-term plans are rarely thoroughly thought out. He managed to position itself in the Syrian conflict, but his “plan” for resolving most concerns would bring Russia out without loss, just as he has hardly any long-term plan in regard to the rebellion which it caused in Eastern Ukraine. Much of what he does at first seem brilliant, but then turns out to be a goal, scored an own goal. For Putin the most important thing is to keep in power a regime and keep (the position) of their own inner circle,” says Mette Skak.
The current sanctions — this is serious
Approval of Medvedev that sanctions almost in favor of Russia, highly questionable, says an expert on Russia:
“Until now, Western sanctions have not affected the energy sector, but new U.S. restrictions also apply to subcontractors, who supply advanced technology to the energy sector. This means that at stake is the future of Russian energy supplies. But for Russian this is serious,” says Mette Skak.
